Beds and other support surfaces for the body have been in existence for centuries. From straw and fabric to the highly technical mattresses of today, the industry has sought to improve upon the support for a person at rest in a supine position. People spend, on average, close to ⅓ of their life span asleep. Therefore, the need for comfortable support for the body during the sleep period is highly desirable.
The technology relating to improving mattresses is diverse and includes many designs that are oriented towards individual comfort. Some designs include spring based technology, some designs include air based technology, and some designs include foam based technology.
With specific reference to foam based technology, many mattresses today are constructed either entirely or partially out of foam material. The foam material may include closed cell and/or open cell foams as are generally known in the art. The foam material may be formed from polyurethane foam, for example, or other conventional foams. The polyurethane foams may include conventional polyurethane foam, open cell polyurethane foams, reticulated polyurethane foams, and/or viscoelastic polyurethane foams. Other designs include other foams, including, for example, latex foams and the like. Currently, the industry trends are focusing on types of viscoelastic foams (sometimes generically referred to as “Memory Foam”) to increase comfort and support for the individual resting on the bed.
A conventional mattress 100 formed using polyurethane foams is shown in FIG. 1. The mattress 100 conventional includes a top layer 102 and a bottom layer 104. The top layer 102 is generally designed for comfort and may include, for example, the aforementioned viscoelastic foam types, whether polyurethane viscoelastic foam or another viscoelastic foam. The bottom layer 104 is generally for support and may include a closed or open cell structure polyurethane foam. In certain aspects, the mattress 100 may include a layer of breathable or open cell foam 106, such as, for example, foams generally referred to as reticulated polyurethane foams. As used herein, reticulated foams generally refer to foams that allow 5 or more standard cubic feet of air flow per minute.
In some cases, a conventional foam mattress may be formed using a closed or open cell structure polyurethane foam similar to the above for support. Comfort for such a conventional mattress may be improved by adding a “topper” as is generally known in the art. A topper may be formed of viscoelastic polyurethane foam.
However, despite improvements in the types and combination of foams, a need exists in the industry for improved comfort and support for mattresses formed at least partially from foam. Thus, against this background, an improved mattress is desirable.